U.S. law for music interoperability?

Lawmakers in Washington D.C. got an earful yesterday from companies and consumers concerned about the lack of interoperability in the digital music business, according to InternetNews.com. CDs purchased from any record store will work in any CD player, but music bought from non-Apple stores won't work on the iPod, they were told.

The message is clearly resonating with some lawmakers, some of whom even suggested requiring companies to make their music formats interoperable. But it appears that even Apple rivals like Napster didn't like the idea of the government stepping too closely into their business. With no real support from any side, any such proposal isn't likely to see the light of day.

Apple itself declined an invitation to come to the hearing.